Mavericks have put Cooper Flagg in an impossible position to succeed

The Dallas Mavericks luckily won the lottery and the right to draft Cooper Flagg, but the franchise is making things difficult on him immediately by thrusting him into a lead ball-handling role on a franchise with title contention dreams. They signed D’Angelo Russell over another point guard to put Flagg in a more on-ball role. The 18-year-old is special, but it is rare for a rookie to impact winning as the primary creator on his team.

The Mavs dumped Luka Doncic in a still-impossible-to-believe trade. They did not shop their superstar. Nico Harrison targeted Anthony Davis because of his defense. It was clear Dallas thought AD gave them a better shot at a championship. Harrison is not abandoning those dreams after landing Cooper Flagg.

Kyrie Irving is recovering from a torn ACL and will miss the majority of this season. Dallas has no point guard replacement. D-Lo will start at the one, but is more of a score-first option. That leaves Flagg in a massive on-ball role leading the Mavericks as a teenager. It won’t end well.

Mavericks have put Cooper Flagg in an impossible position to succeed

Flagg took 20 or more shots twice in his 37 games at Duke. He had five or more assists 17 times. The 6’9 forward can handle the ball and make plays, but is not an otherworldly creator like the man Nico Harrison traded away.

In his final 23 games without Luka Doncic, Kyrie averaged 19.8 field goals and 4.0 assists per game. Dallas went 10-13 in that stretch and needs someone to more than make up for that production.

The Mavs have built an ill-fitting roster around their top talents. They are projected to start Russell, Klay Thompson, Flagg, AD, and Dereck Lively II with a bench that features nearly all frontcourt players. PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford, Naji Marshall, Max Christie, and Caleb Martin are the next best options for head coach Jason Kidd to turn to. None of those are on-ball players, which only puts more expectations and responsibilities on Flagg.

The 18-year-old is NBA-ready. Fans witnessed his special abilities in summer league, but asking Flagg to drag an ill-fitting roster into the playoff mix as they wait for Kyrie to return from a serious knee injury is too much. Dallas should take a gap year and build around Flagg, AD, and Irving for the 2026-27 season. That is the Mavericks' best chance to win it all, but Harrison wants to do it now at whatever cost necessary.

The future is problematic, despite drafting Cooper Flagg. Harrison and the front office have traded away their 2027 first-round draft pick and multiple swaps. Improving this roster won’t be easy given their spending concerns. The Mavs are capped at the second apron and just $1.5 million under by current projections. The time is now with Davis and Irving in their 30s. That is not ideal for Flagg.

The Dallas Mavericks are asking too much from Cooper Flagg. Fans should temper expectations for his rookie season. Flagg is a generational prospect and will be a standout for years to come, but year one will feature struggles as he adjusts to the NBA and being a primary creator. The Mavs have nobody to blame but themselves.